


While You Were Sleeping

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Movie AU, No Curse AU, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-05 02:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4163031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle French has admired Jefferson Gold from afar… until he gets mugged and she saves him from being hit by a train. Literally. After rushing to the hospital, a nurse hears her saying she was supposed to marry him and assumes they’re engaged. She meets his whole family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know a While You Were Sleeping AU has been tossed around for a while. I hope I can do it justice. This chapter doesn’t have Gold yet, but he’ll be involved in every other part. Let me know if you like it.

There were very few things to look forward to when working a twelve hour shift at the downtown Chicago train station. Belle French knew that all too well, but she couldn’t help but smile when she thought about what would happen just after 8am. She was just starting her shift, and her favorite customer would walk passed her station and on to the train platform, dropping his token in the slot and taking her heart away with him. A true believer in love at first sight, she knew he was the one she was destined to be with. He wore slick suits, had unruly hair, and a dazzling smile. They’d never talked, but she had a feeling he was special.

Her father had told her when she was little that he knew he loved her mother when she gave him the world. It was actually just a snow globe shaped like the world, but her father had been a hopeless romantic. She inherited that trait from him. To pass the time, she would often make up stories about the people who passed by her during the business week. There were cat ladies, retired supermodels, secret agents… but her favorite day dream was him. In her mind, his name was Roger Cassidy. Roger Cassidy worked in advertising; he had a stable but rewarding job. He loved cats (like her), enjoyed traveling (like her), and had a supermodel girlfriend. Someone with his looks deserved a supermodel girlfriend. Belle was, however, confident that that once she made her move, Roger would dump his gorgeous girlfriend and sweep her off her feet.

During her lunch break on Christmas Eve, her longtime boss, Sally Lucas approached her.

“Belle! My girl! Did you know I’ve chosen you as employee of the month?” she said kindly, taking a seat next to Belle. This couldn’t be good. Sally only talked to Belle if she needed something.

Belle rolled her eyes. “I didn’t even know we had an employee of the month.”

“Well, you’re it,” she said, putting on her glasses to read from the sheet of paper in her hand. “Belle French is a model employee. She often covers for her coworkers when they’re unable to work, she works holidays without question, even when she worked the previous holiday…” she said, trailing off to see Belle’s expression.

She looked sour. “No, Sally, I won’t work tomorrow. It’s Christmas.”

“Yes, but, Ruby’s got a family thing, Ariel’s leaving for Ohio, and Gus has to do community service.”

“He has to do community service. On Christmas,” Belle said doubtfully.

“I’m sorry, Belle, really, it’s just, you’re the only one…”

“Without a family,” said Belle, finishing her sentence.

Her mother, Collette, had died shortly after she was born due to complications during childbirth. Her father died the day after her eighteenth birthday after undergoing extensive cancer treatments. She’d been on her own since then, working at the train station and dreaming her days away. The only good thing about her father’s death was that his insurance left her enough money to live in a decent apartment in the decent side of town. 

Christmas Day was not a busy one for the train station. Belle had decorated her window with some twinkling lights and tinsel, but it all felt dull as she sat doing a crossword. She was the only employee there today; everyone else had better things to be doing. Honestly, she could’ve agreed to work Christmas months ago, but she wanted her coworkers to think she had some semblance of a social life. Her only plan on Christmas was to watch movies with her cat, Puff. It would be better than this. Sighing as she completed another crossword, she heard a token clink into the slot. Looking up, he was there. Her dream guy. Roger.

He had paused. He normally just offered a brief smile and left. Belle watched him, wide-eyed, trying to figure out what to say.

“Merry Christmas,” he said with a charming smile.

“Yuh,” she replied. He gave her a puzzled look and a nod, and then headed towards the waiting area. 

“Yuh?!?” she thought exasperatedly, “that’s not even a word!” Belle was filled with self-hatred as she realized she would never have the courage to talk to him properly. They would never have their two children (Camden and Caitlyn), never live in the suburbs, never go to Hawaii…. She had really planned out their future, and she had just ruined it with one syllable that wasn’t even a word.

Her plot of moving away to escape him forever thinking she was a weirdo was ruined when she heard a lot of yelling. Stepping away from her post, she watched in horror as Roger was mugged and subsequently pushed on to the train tracks. Adrenaline pumping, she ran towards the muggers, waving her arms and calling for help. Belle succeeded in getting the muggers to run away, and they dropped the items they had stolen from his pockets. Her man was laying flat in the middle of the tracks, unconscious. This was not good. She quickly lowered herself on to the tracks, kneeling as she gently pushed his face.

“Wake up! Wake up,” she said desperately, leaning to listen if his heart was beating. It was. That was good. 

Suddenly, she heard it. The unmistakable sound of the train coming.

“Come on, man, the train is coming,” she yelled, pushing at his arms and trying to get him to move. As the train got closer, all logic left her and survival instinct kicked in. She grabbed his body with her arms, and rolled the two of them over to the side of the tracks. 

At this point, a few people had gathered and watched this take place. Someone had called 911, and minutes later the police had arrived. Belle sat next to her man’s unconscious body, and watched as he was wheeled away. She had been in a momentary shock, but got herself together enough to drive to the hospital behind the ambulance.

-  
The hospital was tricky. Belle had switched out of her work clothes in a bathroom (they had gotten blood on them when she pushed the man out of the way of the tracks) and was in an oversized college sweatshirt and leggings instead. 

Approaching the nurses’ station, she quickly began to ramble “there was a man just brought in from a train accident, I need to see him.” The nurse asked for his name, and before she could reply that she didn’t know, she saw him on a stretcher in a hallway across from the one she was in. She could see him through the glass doorway, but a doctor stopped her from entering.

“Family only for critical patients. Are you family?” he asked, blocking the doorway.

“Well, no,” she said, trying to see over his shoulder, “not technically, but…”

He shook his head. “Then you can’t go in.”

The doctor walked in the doorway and watched her out of the corner of his eye as the man was wheeled to another room. Belle stared at him as he went, and whispered “I was supposed to marry him,” in a longing tone.

It seemed a nurse had heard that. A tiny blonde woman named ‘Wanda’ was now at her side, and said, “Follow me. I’ll get you to his room.”

Belle wasn’t sure why the woman was helping her, but she let the woman lead her to her man’s room. He was laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to multiple tubes and machines. Before she had a moment to process this, a swarm of people was in the room, asking her multitudes of questions.

“Are you a nurse?”

“How did this happen?”

“Where’s a doctor?”

“He looks awful – he’s so pale!”

“Did anyone see a bathroom on the way in?”

Belle raised her hand nervously, and everyone looked at her. “He got mugged and fell on to the train tracks. I, uh, pushed him out of the way of the train.”

The crowd of people began whisper-yelling again.

“She saved his life!”

“You must be his guardian angel!”

“Would everyone just be quiet?”

“I told you, miss, only family.”

That last one she recognized. The doctor from before was trying to get her to leave, but Wanda said loudly, “she’s his fiancée!”

The swarm of people stopped talking. For a moment.

“Fiancée?”

“Jefferson has a fiancée?!”

“Jefferson never told ME he was engaged.”

Jefferson. Her mystery man had a name. It suited him. She liked it. She realized she had to answer the people’s questions. They weren’t engaged, though. Why did the nurse think they were engaged? Before she could squash these people’s fears, a man a little older than her came closer to her.

“Hi. I’m Neal. Jefferson’s my brother,” he began. “Over there is Emma, my wife, and our son, Henry.” Belle nodded at the tall, blonde woman and the little kid.

“That’s Evanna,” he said, motioning towards the older couple, “and that’s Malcolm. They’re my grandparents.”

“Emma’s parents also happened to be visiting, so they came too. David and Mary Margaret.”

Everyone in the room had been introduced except Belle herself. They were all watching her curiously.

“Uh, hi. I’m Belle,” she said quietly.

The woman named Evanna looked at her uncertainly. “Speak up, dear.”

“I’m Belle,” she said again, with more emphasis.

Evanna nodded. “Good. Strong name.”

A bunch of monitors began beeping all at once, and everyone turned to look at Jefferson. He was still unconscious, and the doctor had told them he could be in a coma for an indeterminable amount of days. Another doctor came in, ushering the large family out. A police officer stopped Belle to question her about everything that had happened. After that, Belle found Wanda at the nurses station, and whispered angrily, “why would you say he’s my fiancé?!”

“You looked at him and said, ‘we were supposed to be married’” she said, looking like this was obvious.

“Yeah, in my dreams,” said Belle, rubbing her hands over her face in exasperation.

Wanda looked stunned. “Well, next time, finish your out-loud thinking with ‘but I’m single’”.

Someone tapped Belle’s shoulder. It was the kid. Henry was his name.

“You can come sit with us, if you want.”

Great. She couldn’t tell these people she was lying, not yet, not after they had just declared her to be their guardian angel.

Belle sat on the edge of one of couches in the hospital waiting room. Everyone was watching her again, when Malcolm whispered loudly, “I thought he was dating that Elsa girl.” 

Evanna shushed him and smiled at Belle. “Tell us how you met, dear.”

Emma agreed, “yeah, Belle, tell us the whole story.”

Neal patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t let them overwhelm you, Belle.” 

Belle began tapping her foot nervously. Emma’s mother, Mary Margaret, must’ve noticed her anxiety and said gently, “why don’t you just tell us what you first noticed about him.”

That was easy. “His smile,” she said with a blush.

They all nodded. It was universal knowledge that Jefferson had a great smile. Good. 

She continued, “He smiled at me and I just knew he was the one.”

They all nodded again, content with this information. Emma looked at her watch. “It’s time for us to get going for someone’s bedtime,” she said, motioning towards Henry.

“Alright,” said Neal, “I’m going to go say goodbye to Jefferson.”

All the people began to move, suddenly claiming various events they had to go to. Belle was left alone. She waited until Neal had exited her new fiancé’s room, then entered and sat next to his bed. It was time to really introduce herself.

“Hi,” she said softly. “I guess I just want to tell you who I am. My name’s Belle Victorie French. Your family thinks we’re engaged. I’ve never been engaged before, so I don’t really know what to do. I didn’t mean for this to happen, I don’t know what to do next. If you were awake, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s not your fault, I mean. I just thought I would be normal. I mean, I am normal, I have a job and an apartment and a cat.”

She paused, unsure of what else he should know. 

“I believe in love at first sight. I bet you don’t. You’re levelheaded. Have you ever been in love with someone you haven’t even talked to, or told a whole family a huge lie? Probably not.”

His monitors suddenly went off again. Belle jumped, unsure of what to do. A few nurses came in the room, and she exited slowly, hoping to get out of the hospital without talking to another human being. She wanted to go back to her apartment and process her crazy day. 

Heading towards the elevator, another nurse stopped her. He was holding a large box.

“You’re Jefferson Gold’s wife, right?”

“I’m not his wife!” she snapped.

“Oh. Well. His fiancée. Here are his possessions, everything from his wallet and pockets, and his clothes he wore in.”

Belle gave in and accepted the box, and kept on her way to the elevator. 

A man stopped her. “Did someone say you’re Jefferson Gold’s fiancée? I work with the guy. I came to visit when I heard the news. Killian Jones.” He extended his hand, but quickly dropped it when he realized her arms were full with the box.

Killian gave a nervous laugh. Belle curtly said, “I’ve really got to be going,” and tried to move passed him, but he continued. Could he not tell she wasn’t in the mood?

“He’s a great guy, really. He’s had a tough year though, with that accident.” 

“He was in an accident?” she asked. There were so many things she didn’t know about.

“We were playing basketball, and I always carry a pencil… you know what, never mind. Long story. If he hasn’t told you, you’ll find out eventually,” said Killian, getting the hint and leaving Belle alone.

She finally reached the elevator. It appeared it was being slow, because a couple people were milling about, waiting. She absolutely would not take the stairs. She wasn’t in the mood for stairs. She stood impatiently, looking around. From the corner of her eye, she realized someone was watching her.

It was Neal. He approached her, and said, “I think we should talk, Belle.”

She panicked. “Look, I’m really sorry, I don’t know –“

He stopped her. “It’s okay. I left my cell phone in Jefferson’s room, and I went back to get it. I saw you were in there, and I heard everything you said. I know you don’t know him. I’m not going to tell everyone,” he said quickly.

She was confused. “You’re not?”

“They’re all dealing with individual problems. This happening brought us all together. For now, you can be his fiancée and guardian angel, and I’ll keep your secret.” 

“What about if he wakes up?” she whispered angrily, “He won’t know who I am.” 

The elevator opened, and Belle made a move to get to it. Neal shook his head, and she pouted and stopped. 

“Right. But if he wakes up, everyone will be so happy they won’t notice if you slip out of the picture,” he said. He had really thought this through, it seemed.

“You’re either a really good brother, or a really bad one,” said Belle, pursing her lips. She couldn’t figure him out.

“We’re going to go along with it as long as we can. You’re a happy distraction from his coma.”

Belle nodded. “I can do this. Probably.”

Neal corrected her. “We can do this.”

The elevator opened, and they entered it together. 

“Oh,” he said casually, “Emma wants me to invite you to a Christmas party on the 27th. We’re having it with everyone you met today, plus a couple friends. My dad will be there. You should meet him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to find out he didn’t know his son was engaged.”

Neal shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time Jefferson surprised us.”

Belle sighed. “Can you text me some random facts about Jefferson I should know? If we keep this whole charade going?” 

He winked. “I got you, sister.”

This holiday season was really going to be brutal.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle goes to the Gold family's late Christmas party. She has a rough first encounter with Jefferson's father, Gavin, but proves she's engaged to Jefferson with a weird fact. Later, Belle goes to visit Jefferson's apartment only to run in to Gavin again. In an attempt to apologize, Gavin visits Belle's home, but they wind up going back to Jefferson's place. Gavin walks Belle home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super long update. The final two parts shouldn't be as long. I wanted to include as many callbacks to the movie as I could, but try and fit it to Gold and Belle. Let me know what you think :)

Belle decided to proceed on with her life like normal, returning to work on the 26th of December. After completing her degree in library science to find out that no libraries were hiring, she got a job at the train station and never left. There was enough money for her to support herself and her cat, and she could buy extra things when she wanted them. She saw no reason to leave. As she finished her shift on the 26th, Sally Lucas stopped by her station to thank her again for taking the Christmas shift (even if she left halfway through because she saved a civilian).

“No problem,” said Belle, “but count me out for next Christmas. Too much drama.”

Sally laughed. “Sure thing… now tell me again about how you saved that guy.”

Belle laughed and recounted the story again. It had made small headlines in local news, but Belle had declined from being interviewed. 

“And you know this guy’s name and everything?”

Belle paused. “Well, yeah,” she said, like this was common knowledge, “we’re engaged.”

There. She had said it. She was engaged to Jefferson Gold. Kind of. 

“You’re engaged?! I’ve never heard you mention him.”

“That’s because we only talk when you need something,” Belle reminded her. “I’ll send you a wedding invitation in the mail,” she said, leaving to return to her apartment for the rest of the day.

Her apartment was on the nice side of the city, the perfect place for a single woman and her cat to reside. Puff, her cat, was a spoiled little tabby that spent her days lounging around until Belle came home to cuddle her. Her other friend in the apartment complex was Marco, the landlord. He was an elderly Italian man with a kind heart, and Belle adored him. What she didn’t adore was the dimwitted son who often trailed behind him. August was a high-school drop out whose favorite things to do were weight-lift and harass the female occupants of the apartment complex. Despite the freezing temperatures, he was always in a tight tank top. He was innocent, really, but he gave Belle a headache with his overwhelming cologne and cheesy flirting tactics. Belle had her door half opened, and paused when Marco called her name.

“Bella! You didn’t visit yesterday! I made extra pasta for you!” Marco yelled, stopping her in her tracks.  
She whirled around to face him. “Marco! I should’ve called to say I couldn’t make it. Work got a little crazy.”

August had snuck by her and was now investigating her apartment. She glanced over at him. He was looking at all the photos on her wall. 

“Who’s the dude in these photos, French?” he asked.

“My dad, same as last time you asked!” she called back, rolling her eyes and turning to look at Marco.

Marco offered her a sad smile. “You work too much, Bella. You need to take a day off, let me feed you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she assured him, “I’m fine.”

She wasn’t sure if he believed her, but he nodded. “I’ll send August back with some leftovers for you. You know,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially, “he’s still single.” 

“Really? I can’t believe it,” said Belle sarcastically. Besides, even if she was interested in August, she was a betrothed woman. Not that she was going to tell Marco. He would have a field day if he thought she didn’t introduce her boyfriend to him. Her last boyfriend, Will, had only lasted for a few months, but he only lasted as long as he did due to Marco’s cooking she suspected. He had been a nice guy, but he took a job offer in Dallas and she hadn’t heard from him since. They weren’t meant to be, but it was fun while it lasted and that was that. 

Marco called to his son, and August slowly walked out of Belle’s apartment, eyeing her up and down before she left. “You’re the most beautiful girl in the whole building,” he whispered to her in his distinctive Chicago accent. She gave him a smile that was more a grimace, and shut the door in his face. “You’ll go out with me someday!” she heard him say before he trailed after his father.

Puff was now circling Belle’s feet.

“Girls night?” she said, swooping down to pick up her kitty, “don’t mind if I do.”

-  
The next day, Belle didn’t have to work. She let herself sleep in, and tried to memorize the facts Neal had texted her about her fiancé. Things she had to know about Jefferson for the party tonight (according to Neal):

1\. Jefferson was adopted at a young age from Romania.  
2\. His adoptive mother (Neal’s biological mother) died in a car accident when he was 15.  
3\. Neal and Gavin (the father she had yet to meet) owned and operated a company that bought and sold furniture they obtained from people who had died. Really.  
4\. Jefferson opted out of the family business to become salesman.  
5\. He was allergic to peanuts.  
6\. Unfortunately, Jefferson was known for jumping from relationship to relationship. (This didn’t mean that Belle couldn’t turn him in to someone who wanted to settle down, Neal assured her.)

 

She had really picked a winner, it seemed. She could get by the thing about him being allergic to peanuts (getting rid of her peanut butter would be tough, but she could do it). He had the stable but rewarding job she had imagined him to have. He was from somewhere that wasn’t Chicago. Maybe Belle could be the one who made him want to stay still and get married, despite his flirtatious past. It was clearly meant to be. Her hopeless romantic side was happy, but her logical side told her she should stop pretending he would actually marry her when he woke up. 

She decided to stop ignoring the box of his possessions the hospital had given her, and gave in to her curiosity. It technically wasn’t invading his privacy if they were going to be married. Belle pulled out his wallet, which was filled with various cards and his ID. Jefferson Kameron Gold. She know knew his birthday, where he bought his groceries, where he lived, his driving restrictions (none!), and what doughnut shop he frequented, all from this wallet. She pulled out his clothes, then dropped them back in when she saw they were stained with blood. The last thing she found was a container of fish food. Aw. He must’ve been on his way home to feed his fish if that was in his pocket. She made a mental note to visit his apartment and feed his fish as she looked at his key chain. It was a pretty typical key chain, but she learned that Jefferson drove a Prius.

Before she knew it, it was time to get ready for the Gold family party. It was a post-Christmas party to make up for the fact that nobody had really celebrated the holiday due to the train accident. Neal had assured her via text that there wasn’t any dress code, for which she was thankful. When she wasn’t working, her wardrobe could simply be described as “lounge comfort clothes”. Digging through her closet, she found an oversized green Christmas sweater with Rudolph on it, pairing it with a pair of black skinny jeans. She sprayed her long brunette hair with various volume and anti-frizz potions until it cooperated, and she piled it in to a messy bun on top of her head, adding a red bow for fun. Looking over herself in the mirror, she knew this was as good as it was going to get. Belle practiced smiling in the mirror. She hadn’t gone to a party in ages, she wasn’t really one for large social gatherings. However, she was going to make an exception for the people who somehow believed they were about to be related to her.

The drive to the suburbs didn’t take too long, and Belle pulled up to Neal and Emma’s house. It was snowing lightly, and she took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. Neal was standing on the porch, waiting for her. 

“Hi, Belle,” he said, pulling her in for a hug, “everyone was so excited when I said you were coming,” he continued, leading her in to the house.

The living room was covered in fairy lights and had an impressive Christmas tree in the middle of the room, with couches surrounding it. All the people she had met before, plus some unfamiliar faces were occupying the couches. 

“Belle!” said Emma, standing from her seat, “I’m so glad you could make it! Let me show you where the food is.”

She took Belle’s arm and led her to the kitchen, showing her all the various foods people had brought.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to bring something,” said Belle, but before she could apologize more, Emma cut her off.

“Nonsense. You can just bring something to the next party!” Emma said, stepping away from Belle. Henry had tugged on Emma’s shirt, asking her to assemble a Christmas toy.

Belle put together a plate of snacks, and then sat cautiously on a couch by herself. Evanna and Malcolm and Henry soon gravitated to sit closer to her.

“I can’t believe Jefferson didn’t tell us about you,” said Evanna, looking at Belle over her thick glasses. “You’re such a pretty girl!” 

Belle shrugged. “I don’t know either. That guy…” she said, fading off in to what she hoped was a friendly laugh. 

Malcolm patted her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter that he didn’t tell us. You’re here now.”

Everyone switched the topic from their disbelief of her existence to hockey, because the TV in the living room was showing the game. Belle watched a few games occasionally, and was able to keep up with the conversation. Henry was surprised but delighted when she could identify some players by just their numbers. It felt nice to yell at the referees and cheer when the hometown team scored a goal. She felt like she was part of something.

Emma and Neal soon joined them too, and Neal pointed out a few cousins and friends that were also in attendance. Belle greeted all of them, feeling a happy rush every time she was introduced as “Jefferson’s fiancée”. Luckily, none of them wanted to talk too much, and she just recounted the train story a few more times and agreed with everyone that yes, what a tragedy, but yes, it was a miracle she was there to save him. Neal told her his father was busy working, but he would be at the hospital tomorrow when they went to visit Jefferson. The doctors had called her while she was at the party, telling her his numbers were stable and he was still in a coma. She relayed the information to the party, and they all accepted it, toasting to Jefferson’s recovery. 

After the game ended, Belle talked more to her future in-laws about herself. She told them about her cat, her job, her lazy coworkers…anything that would seem relevant. They were all fairly easy going, and she found it easy to joke around with them. As conversations lulled and relatives began to leave, the slow Christmas music playing in the background made Belle sleepy. She felt herself yawn as she stretched, ready to go home. She got up from the couch, but Emma stopped her.

“Belle, I just looked outside and it’s an absolute snow storm. I insist you spend the night,” she said, turning Belle around to the couch. 

“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother –“

“You’re not a bother, you’re family,” she said, pulling out a pillow and blanket for her to use. Belle decided to accept her hospitality, but wouldn’t let Emma set up the guest bedroom for her, opting for the simpler couch. She borrowed a pair of Emma’s pajamas, and curled up on the couch, drifting in and out of slumber. She was jolted from her lull of sleep when she heard the door open. Footsteps came from the direction of Neal and Emma’s room.

Belle heard Neal say, “Dad?”

“Yeah,” an unfamiliar male voice whispered, “I was late at work and your house is closer than mine and this weather is crazy…”

So this was the Gavin she’d heard about. From what she knew, he was a real workaholic.

“You can sleep in the guest room,” said Neal, “the couch is taken.”

“I can see that,” she heard Gavin say, and she could tell he had stepped closer. She kept her eyes shut, trying not to let the men know she was awake. “Who is that? One of Emma’s friends?”

“That’s Jefferson’s fiancée,” said Neal. 

Gavin laughed. “No, it’s not. He was dating a blonde last time I talked to him.”

Foiled by her hair color.

“Well, that’s his fiancée. You can interrogate her later. Let’s go get you set up in the guest room.”

Belle listened as their footsteps grew fainter, sighing in relief. She’d really have to up her game tomorrow. 

-  
Light was streaming in through the windows, making Belle squint as she woke. She couldn't really remember what happened in her dream, and it also took her a moment to orientate herself and she looked around her unfamiliar surroundings.

Oh. Right. She was on Neal's couch. She stretched and got off the couch, folding the blankets before she left the room. She headed towards the kitchen, where she heard quiet voices talking. It was Emma Belle was hoping to find so she could return her borrowed pajamas, but she wasn't in luck. The table was occupied by Henry, Evanna, and someone she didn't recognize. She took a seat across from the stranger, thinking it was probably Jefferson's father, who she had heard come in the previous night. He was wearing a suit (really? it was 10am), and had long dark hair and sharp features. She would've thought he was handsome if she wasn't engaged. 

He looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Hullo," he said cordially, then looked back down at the newspaper.

"Grandpa," Henry whispered excitedly, "that's Uncle Jeffersons fiancée!"

The man smirked. "Sure, Henry." He looked at Belle again. "I'm Gavin Gold, Neal and Jefferson's father. I wonder why we haven't met sooner," he said, and his tone was biting. He clearly didn't like Belle already. 

Evanna hit him on the shoulder. "Be nice to her, Gavin, you're barely around as it is."

He fidgeted. "Just not sure why my son wouldn't tell me he's getting married," he said briskly.

Belle narrowed her eyes, trying to read him. He was trying very hard not to make a good impression. Before she could reply, Evanna came to her rescue. "When I got married to your father at 18, my parents almost disowned me. When you came home with a pregnant Milah at 18, I almost exploded, but you told me I'd done the same thing. Then Neal got married at 20, and we began to think marrying young just ran in the family. I know Jefferson's a bit different from the rest of us," she said sternly to her son, who was beginning to look embarrassed, "but he's found this nice girl and we're very glad to have her in our family." She reached out for Belle's hand, squeezing it gently.

Gavin merely shrugged in response, returning to whatever he was reading. He was going to be difficult to turn to Team Belle, but hopefully he would adjust. His son's engagement was probably a surprise, but hopefully she and Neal could sway his opinion. 

Belle smiled at Evanna for her encouragement, and decided she had overstayed her welcome. "Well, I'll see you all at the hospital later. I'm going to go change; I'll leave Emma's clothes on the couch. Tell her thank you again," she said to Evanna, who poured tea into a thermos for the ride home for Belle. 

She got up from the table, and was surprised when she found little Henry hugging her side. "Bye Aunt Belle," he said, smiling up at her. "Can you come over next time there's a hockey game?"

She smiled back at him, delighted that the boy seemed fond of her already. "Sure, kid. Maybe I'll even take you to a game someday."

Belle wasn't sure why she was making promises she couldn't really intend to keep, but she had no idea how long Jefferson would be in a coma and how long she'd keep up her fiancée charade. So far, it had been really nice to feel like she was part of a family. It still the early days of knowing these people, but they already treated her like an old friend. 

Later that day, Belle visited her apartment before heading the hospital. Her hair had been a rat's nest after she'd slept on it, but she showered and got it to straighten nicely. She had changed out of her Christmas sweater, and into a nice turtleneck. She wanted to look nice for her new friends. After she looked decent, she headed to hospital to get an update from the doctors. The family (minus Emma's parents, who had gone home to Maine) would all be there as well. Even Gavin. 

Belle sighed as she entered the hospital, hoping she could mostly stay in the background and not answer too many questions. The family was already there when she entered, and Gavin was talking loudly with the doctor on-call, Regina Mills. Belle had met Regina previously and liked her well enough, but Gavin wasn't sure the medical staff was doing all they could for Jefferson's wellbeing. Regina assured him otherwise, saying Jefferson's numbers were stable but his comatose status remained unpredictable. 

Neal joined Belle at the back of the room. "Dad hates hospitals. Always has since mom died," he said softly. 

Belle grimaced. It must be hard for him to see his son like that, especially when he had lost his wife hooked up to machines and contraptions just like Jefferson was now.

When Gavin was done debating with the ever-patient Regina, he joined Neal and Jefferson in the back of the room. Henry was at a side table drawing a picture, Emma was on a work phone call outside the room, and Malcolm and Evanna were sitting at the sofa next to the bed, watching the steady rise and fall of Jefferson's chest.

"I noticed you're not wearing an engagement ring, Belle," Gavin said conversationally. Belle knew it was a threat, somehow.

"We decided we didn't want anything flashy. If we didn't spend money on a ring, we could spend more on the wedding," said Belle, thinking on her feet. She looked at Neal nervously for approval, and he gave her a slight nod.

"Really? That's odd. Jefferson is normally one for flashy things," he said, his eyes never leaving Jefferson's bed.

"I guess I'm the exception," said Belle with a small laugh.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I'm just really struggling to think my son wouldn't tell me he's engaged. When did he propose, exactly?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," said Belle, her voice rising to meet his. 

"Dad," said Neal in a low voice, "drop it."

Malcolm joined in the conversation. "Belle's engaged to Jefferson, son. She can prove it, if you're stubborn enough to need proof."

Belle stood, wide-eyed as everyone in the room turned to face her. 

Gavin raised his eyebrows, ready to challenge her. "Okay, Belle. Tell us something about Jefferson only his fiancée would know."

At this point, even Henry was watching the adults talk and Emma had re-entered the room.

"He's...allergic to peanuts," she began, but she knew that wasn't a strong enough point. Anyone could know that, it was even on his hospital wristband. "He was adopted, and, uhh...he has one..."

She tried to convince herself to say it. His coworker had told her this on Christmas Day, but she couldn't bring herself to say the embarrassingly personal fact in front of both the elderly and extremely young ears that were listening to her intently. 

"One what? Keep going," Malcolm said, eyeing Jefferson suspiciously.

Belle motioned at Henry, and Emma took the hint and guided him out of the room, despite his tiny protest.

"He's got one testicle," she said finally, blushing as she stared at the floor like it was the most important thing in the room.

"What," said Neal, "are you sure?"

Belle did a quick check of the faces around the room. Evanna looked scandalized, Malcolm was laughing, and Gavin was looking at Belle with disbelief.

"Yeah," she said, "there was an accident; about a month ago...he was playing basketball with some coworkers..."

There. That was enough information for them. The room fell in to an uncomfortable silence. 

"Well," said Evanna finally, "someone has to check."

Belle backed away further from the bed, not wanting to invade Jefferson's privacy, even if everyone in the room assumed she had seen what they were talking about.

Neal quickly sensed her discomfort, and said, "I'll just go asked Doctor Mills for his patient file." 

The silence in the room was deafening until Neal returned with the file, glancing down at the records of him being admitted to the hospital.

"Yeah," he said finally, "the proof is in the print."

With that, the mood to visit cordially was killed. Gavin was still eyeing Belle suspiciously, Henry was bored, and Evanna and Malcolm had a bingo party to get to. They exited the hospital together, and Neal stayed back a moment to talk to Belle.

"How the hell did you know that?"

She gave a tight smile. "A woman never tells all her secrets." 

He gave her an annoyed look. "Kidding. I met one of his coworkers here on Christmas and he told me," she admitted. 

Neal nodded, and they all went their separate ways to their cars.

Later that day, Belle decided she would go to Jefferson's apartment to drop off his things and feed his fish. She also wanted to snoop, but that was beside the point. 

She looked up his address on her GPS, and then drove to a higher class part of town. It seemed Jefferson lived in a swanky apartment. After introducing herself to the doorman, she was directed to his place. She unlocked the door and stepped in cautiously. The walls and carpet were entirely white. Modern furniture was placed sparingly throughout the rooms. How did he maintain this without everything being dirty? Belle figured it out quickly as she picked up a card from the cleaners on his kitchen island (he could afford cleaners!). She walked carefully through each room, touching the walls and furniture to make sure this was real, she was really in his apartment. She pictured herself sitting delicately on the lounge chair, sipping cocktails as her and future husband laughed about whatever glamorous event they had just come back from. 

She continued her journey throughout the apartment, imagining herself living there. Suddenly, she heard a click. Belle spun around, hearing the front door be unlocked and opened. Someone was in the apartment. Maybe it was the cleaners? She rounded the corner, straight in to Gavin Gold.

He jumped away from her, a pile of envelopes in his hand.

"What are you doing here?!" she whispered.

"I just got Jefferson's mail from the post office," he said, waving the envelopes in his hand, "and you don't have to whisper."

"Oh. Right. I was just leaving, so...goodbye," said Belle, looking to escape from her fake fiancé's father.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, making her stop in her pursuit to the door.

"Feeding the fish," she said. Truthfully, she had forgotten all about the fish, or that a container of fish food was in her hands.

He scoffed. "Jefferson doesn't have fish."

"Oh, really?" she said, peeking in to a room by her, "then why did I come here to feed them?"

She walked in to the room (a home office, she thought, it had a desk and a nice computer) and fed the colorful fish swimming around the aquarium. It was a lucky coincidence they were in this room. She would’ve looked like an idiot otherwise. Gavin watched her from the doorway.

"Guess you know more about my son than I do," he said, sounding defeated.

She blinked. Was this a sign of weakness from Mr. Tough Guy himself? "No," she said, "I just knew he had fish. It's not a big deal. I really do need to get home though. See you around, Mr. Gold."

"Gavin," he called after her. When she turned around and looked at him questioningly, he said it again. "You can call me Gavin."

Later that day, Belle was disrupted from a marathon of Friends with a knock at her door. August entered without an invitation.

"French, you cheating on me?" He said, heading straight for her refrigerator.

"I wouldn't dare, August," she said, reaching to close the fridge door before he could steal her groceries. "However, we're not dating," she continued, taking his arm and leading him towards the door.

"Wait - what are those?" He said, entering the closet by her front door.

"Uh, shoes. Can you get out now?"

August was examining her various high heels and boots with great interest. They were worlds away from his normal gym shoes, it seemed.

"You think these would fit me?" He said, peeling off his socks and picking up a pair of stilettos.

"Don't you dare break my -" Belle was interrupted by another knock at the door. Hmm. She looked through the peep hole, and saw - Gavin Gold. 

"Belle," he said loudly "it's Gavin Gold, I just want to -"

It was her turn to interrupt. She opened the door a tiny crack, and said, "hi Gavin! Can I help you?"

"Is someone in there? I thought I heard you talking. I can leave if you're busy."

Yes, August was currently raiding her closet, but he didn't need to know that. "TV," she answered. 

He nodded. "I just decided to bring you some furniture. You know, as a way to make amends. I was rude earlier."

She nodded. "You were...but..."

She looked back in to her apartment. Sure enough, August was trying on her damn shoes. She couldn't have her future father-in-law walk in to see a male around her age in skimpy clothes for the weather. This was a really delicate situation to be in. 

"My apartment's already got plenty of furniture, thank you," she said, beginning to close the door.

"No, I drove the truck all the way over here. The chair has to go somewhere."

Belle had an idea. "Let's just go take it to Jefferson's. He could use more furniture."

Gavin gave her an odd look, but said "Jefferson's it is. What's yours is his, yes?"

August must've caused a shoe box to drop because there was a large crashing noise, and Gavin leaned forward to try and see what was going on.

"I think the noise is my cat."

"Big cat," he said, and she could sense his doubt.

Okay, she had two options. Go with Gavin to put some dead person's couch in Jefferson's fancy apartment, or deal with August ruining her organized closet.

She chose the lesser of two evils. "I'll help you move the furniture," she said, exiting her apartment and closing the door.

They walked towards his truck. "How did you figure out where I lived?"

"Neal told me," he offered.

She gave him a look. "Neal doesn't know where I live."

He sighed. "I followed you home," he admitted. Before Belle could jump and question him, he continued, "I just wanted to see where you lived. I didn't have any bad intentions, I was just curious...."

If they weren't on the road, Belle would've hit him. "Making sure I'm not from a whore house?"

He turned to look at her, wide-eyed. "No!" he exclaimed, "but I did talk to someone interesting while I was there."

"You literally got out of your car to check out where I lived?"

"No, my window was rolled down and I had lost you, so I asked a guy outside the apartment complex if he knew you," he said, sounding like this was normal.

"And..."

"He told me you were dating him," he said, sounding smug.

"Oh my god, you talked to August, didn't you? He's insane, Gavin, I'm not dating him. You could've asked him about any woman in the world and he would tell you he was dating them," Belle said, exasperated. August was not the greatest primary source for information.

"He seemed sane when I talked to him."

"Well, I'm not dating him. I'm engaged. Remember?" she said, waving her ring-less hand at him.

They had finally arrived at Jefferson's apartment. Belle and Gavin headed towards the end of the truck, and Gavin pulled out an oversized arm chair. It was a maroon color, and it would clash with everything Jefferson owned. Belle loved it.

They each took a side and maneuvered it in to elevator and down the hallway to Jefferson's apartment. Belle was happy they didn't take the stairs, avoiding a total "pivot!" moment from Friends. 

Belle walked in backwards with Gavin directly her. They set the chair in the living room, and Belle made Gavin laughed as she repositioned it, telling him she was reorganizing the "fung shui" of the room. She insisted Jefferson would love it, but Gavin thought otherwise.

Belle pushed the armchair a bit too far and hit the coffee table, where a clear vase held blue water and fake flowers. The blue liquid seeped in to the carpet, ruining its perfect white color. Gavin and Belle stared at each other for a moment, before Belle said, "Just move the chair there."

"Yep."

Problem solved, it seemed. Belle picked up the flowers and the vase and set them back on the coffee table. The chair now sat on top of the spill.

"He'll never know," she said with a laugh. 

Gavin smiled at her. Perhaps her first genuine smile from him, and it was a nice one.

With that settled, they left the apartment and headed to the street where Gavin had parked.

As they approached the street, Gavin sighed frustratedly. "Some idiots blocked me in!"

Belle walked around the truck. It was true. He had done a commendable job parallel parking, but the people on either side of him hard parked way too close. There was no way for him to leave unless one of them moved, and it was late now so it was unlikely the cars would move until the morning.

She joined him again. "Well, this is where I leave you," she said, "my apartment isn't too far. I'm going to walk. Bye, Gavin."

Furrowing his eyebrows, he quickly said, "Let me walk you home. It's dark, and this is a big city. You'll be lonely."

Belle shrugged. "I'll be fine," save said as she began to walk away.

Surprising her, he kept up with her. "Actually, I'd be lonely if you left. I'm going with you."

So that was that. 

They walked next to each other on the empty roads. The moon was full and the street lights were on, so it wasn’t horribly dark. It was cold, however, and Belle could see her breath as they walked together.

Breaking the silence, Gavin spoke first. “When did you and Jefferson start seeing each other?”

Belle smiled warmly. “September 17th.” She remembered the exact moment he had looked at her for the first time. Jefferson was gorgeous. It was a day she wouldn’t forget, the day she met the man of her dreams.

“Three months? That’s quick,” he said. When she gave him a small glare, he raised his hands. “No judgment, I’m just saying.”

“Yeah, I guess I should’ve met you guys sooner. He talked about you, though,” she said, a bold-faced lie. She and Jefferson had never talked about anything.

Gavin’s spirits seemed lifted by that. He looked over at her, and then began to take off his jacket. “You look cold.”

“I am cold,” she said, accepting his offer, wearing his coat over her shoulders. “But now you’re cold.”

He shrugged. “Chicago winters don’t bug me anymore.”

“My dad said the same thing, he never wore a jacket,” Belle replied.

“Said…?”

Belle exhaled loudly. “He died.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, sounding genuine.

“It was a while ago, but yeah… he was my best friend,” she said, growing quiet. 

“Do you want to talk about him?” Gavin offered as they continued on their walk.

Belle looked at the moon. She thought about her dad a lot. She didn’t talk about him a lot, though. Nobody to talk to. “He loved maps,” she began. “He loved adventure. When I was little and had days off of school, he’d pull out a map of Illinois and tell me to pick a spot, and we mapped a route to get there. As I got older, he added more places. I spent a lot of weekends in Milwaukee.” 

Gavin smiled. “He sounds like a wonderful father.”

“He was. We had a big trip planned for my eighteenth birthday. We were going to go to Sydney, Australia. That’s where he met my mom. She died when I was a baby,” she said, looking up at Gavin, “and now you know I’m little orphan Belle.”

. “You’re not an orphan. You’ve got Jefferson,” he said, watching her carefully.

Right. Dammit. She was engaged. 

They grew silent for a moment, and Gavin said, “I’ve heard Sydney is great. I’ve yet to get any calls about furniture in Australia, but I’ll let you know.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

They walked in a comfortable quiet, until Belle spoke up. “You want to know something silly?” 

He nodded, looking interested.

“I carry my passport with me, everywhere. All I want is to put a stamp on my passport. I’ve just never had the opportunity, but I keep it with me, just in case-”

“In case immigration stops you?” he said, smiling at her. Belle knew he thought she was silly. 

“In case there’s an awesome deal on flights to Australia,” she finished. “There’s yet to be one, but I’m planning a trip soon. I’ll get my stamp.”

“That would make your dad happy.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” she said quietly. Missing her dad hit her in sporadic waves. 

“I lost someone close to me, too,” he said. It was his turn to be personal, apparently. When Belle didn’t reply, he continued, “When I was married, we always told each other that if something happened to one of us, it would be okay to find someone else. Neal’s set me up on some dating website, but I don’t ever have any matches.”

“Why do you think that is?” she asked, genuinely curious. Aside from his gruff demeanor, he was a nice guy. He was attractive enough, and she had some coworkers her age that dated men around his age. 

“I made my profile picture a lamp. I also said that I hate dogs,” he said. 

“Oh,” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t like dogs either,” she whispered, like hating dogs was some kind of crime. Belle didn’t hate dogs, per say, but she’d always had a cat. Cats were her friends.

“Ha! Maybe we’d be a match, then.”

This was verging in to inappropriate territory, and Belle was pretty sure they both knew it. They were approaching her building. “Well, you’ve been chatty tonight. I think I’m talked out, but thank you for walking home with me,” she said.

“Actually, I’m freezing, and conversation helps my mouth to not ice over,” Gavin confessed.

Belle removed his jacket and handed it back to him. “You could’ve just said so.”

“Nah. You looked cozy,” he said, flashing her with another smile. 

If this was a normal situation, that would’ve been flirting. Her fiancés’ dad definitely did not just flirt with her. Why did she feel happy about this? “No, no, no! Wrong guy! Error!” the logical side of her brain screamed, “Stop looking in to his dark brown eyes, and think about Jefferson’s eyes!” 

They walked the stairs to her apartment, passing August talking to a tall redhead in the stairwell. Poor girl.

“Thanks for walking with me,” Belle said again, “I had a good time.”

He smiled. “I’m glad.”

They lingered outside her door for a moment too long. 

“Goodbye, Gavin,” she said quickly.

“Good night, Belle. Are you going to the hospital tomorrow? To see Jefferson?”

“Oh, I’ve got to work and then I’ve got a New Years’ Party,” said Belle, closing the door. A horrible idea hit her. “Do you want to go with me?” she grimaced as she said this, angry at herself.

“Uhm .Yeah, that would be something - I’ll call you,” he said, nodding his head as he turned to leave.

She closed the door, waited a few moments, and promptly screamed. Why did she feel like she had a crush on Gavin? When he said yes, she felt like a teenager who got asked on her first date. Belle had totally crossed a line by asking him to the party. He probably wouldn’t call her. Gavin was just trying to get to know her, and she’d ruined it. They’d just have to act like she’d never asked that. She had probably freaked him out with how personal she got. She was not supposed to like a man who’d been previously married with two kids who were her age. That was not the plan. The plan was Jefferson. Not his dad. Actually, the plan was to pretend to be engaged to Jefferson until he woke up and quietly exit the picture without hurting any feelings. This would be a lot trickier than she had thought. 

Belle changed in to her pajamas and crawled in to bed. It had only been one day. She definitely didn’t have a crush on Gavin. She definitely did have a crush on Jefferson. It would all work out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle says something in front of Henry that he misunderstands. Belle goes to a New Year’s Eve Party, during which Belle and Gavin have a falling-out. Jefferson wakes up. Neal plays match-maker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re nearing the finish line! Thank you for reading this. I even got a chipped cup reference in! Some dialogue was taken from the While You Were Sleeping script. I have no claim to it. PS, think of Wanda as Tinkerbell.

It was another morning at the train station, and Belle was working with one of her favorite coworkers, a snarky young girl named Ruby. They were counting tokens from the previous day to input statistics in to the computer, and Ruby began to question Belle about her engagement.

“So you’re engaged?” she asked, abandoning her post to sit next to Belle.

Belle nodded. “Mmmhmm,” she said, smiling as a businessman dropped a token in her window and went on his way.

“I don’t see a ring. And you’ve never mentioned a boyfriend,” said Ruby, eyeing Belle suspiciously.

“Well, I’m engaged. His name is Jefferson, and he’s wonderful,” said Belle.

“Are you pregnant?” 

“Yes, Rubes, I am totally pregnant,” said Belle, rolling her eyes.

There was a knock at Belle’s window. 

Henry was smiling at her, with a young blonde girl standing behind him, probably a babysitter.

“Hi, Belle! I asked Ashley if we could take the train today. I wanted to visit you, and my mom said you’d probably be here.”

Belle smiled. “Here I am, kid. It’s nice to see you.”

The next train had arrived, and Ashley ushered Henry to the platform. He waved back to her before they boarded, and Belle couldn’t stop smiling. She simply adored Henry and the rest of his family. She adored Gavin, especially. Belle tried not to remember her awkwardly half-asking him out the previous night, because when she thought about she felt embarrassed all over again.

“Hey, Ruby?” she said, turning to face her coworker. “Would you date a guy who’s got, like, grandkids?”

“Is your mystery man a grandpa? Is he rich?” said Ruby, eyes wide.

“No! No, my fiancé is about my age. I’m just wondering,” said Belle. 

“Well, I think Archie is old enough to be a grandfather, and I’m still trying with him.”

“Isn’t that your psychiatrist?”

Ruby shrugged. “He’s cute. I mentioned I wanted to see him outside of office hours, and he looked so nervous. Age doesn’t matter, Belles.”

Belle nodded. They stayed fairly busy the rest of the day, but Ruby told Belle she’d see her at the New Year’s Party that night. She hosted it annually, and it was always fun. It was a good mix of coworkers and Ruby’s various friends, and it was always a blast. There was also a lot of alcohol. It would be a good night.

-  
Gavin definitely was not going to call her, so Belle let her phone charge as she got ready for the party. She put on nice lipstick and even eye shadow, and a short sequined blue dress. August whistled as she left the building. Belle noticed the redhead was with him again, and she glared at Belle as she left. “You’re the most beautiful girl in the whole building, babe,” said August as she walked by him.

The redhead hit him on the shoulder. “Hey!”

“You’re the most beautiful girl on this whole floor, Zelena.”

The redhead nodded approvingly, pulling August in for a kiss. Belle shuddered, but was thankful he’d hopefully be off her case.

Ruby’s house wasn’t too far from Belle’s apartment, so she had decided to walk there in her fairly high heels. It was good practice; she didn’t often get to wear the shoes she kept hidden away in her closet. As she got to the front door, Belle’s phone began to ring. It was Gavin. Belle picked up as she entered, with loud music making it difficult to hear him.

“Belle? I was wondering about that party?”

“Oh! You want to come?” she yelled.

“Yeah, if you want me there,” he replied, raising his voice to match hers.

“I’ll text you the address!” 

Belle texted Gavin the address, and grabbed a solo cup from a tray Ruby was passing around. She liked the song was playing, and began to dance with some coworkers. It wasn’t too crazy, but it was a good stress reliever. Her dancing was often in her bedroom, with only Puff as an audience. 

After a few minutes, a coworker named Anna pulled on Belle’s shoulder, taking her to the door. “This guy says he knows you?”

Sure enough, Gavin stood nervously at the doorway, in another full suit. Someone really had to go clothes’ shopping with that guy. Gavin was staring at her. This was probably the most risqué outfit he’d ever seen her in. But it was a party, and she was there to party. It had probably been a bad idea to invite him, but he could leave if it wasn’t his scene. 

“Yeah, he’s my fiancé’s-” said Belle, but before she could finish, Anna had taken Gavin’s hand and led (dragged?) him in.

“This is Belle’s fiancé!” she told the crowd of party goers, and they all waved to him. 

“Uh,” said Gavin, “that’s not right.” He was looking at her nervously.

She shrugged. “Relax. Most of these people will not remember you tomorrow.”

He smiled, taking in the party going on around him. He looked like a fish out of water. “C’mon,” she said, “you need to lighten up.”

They made their way towards the table filled with drinks. Belle handed him a glass, and poured herself some punch.

“Is – uh – is the punch spiked?” said Gavin, standing closer to her than he should. It was a loud party, but it wasn’t that loud.

“I hope so!” said Belle, taking a long sip.

Gavin took the cup out of her hand. “That’s not good for you.”

“What?” she asked, reaching to get the cup back from him.

“That’s not good for the baby,” he yelled, emphasizing the final word. Her coworkers turned to stare at her. She stared at him, wide-eyed with her mouth open. Her glass slipped from her hand, and it hit the floor loudly. It looked like it only suffered a chip, and it was stupid to have real glasses at a party, anyway. Belle picked it up and put it back on the table. She ran straight through the living room and out the door. He followed her out, pleading with her to talk to him.

She continued to walk back to her apartment, feeling furious. He ran behind her. Belle spun around to face him.

“They’re all going to think I’m pregnant now. I’m not, by the way,” she spat.

“I’m sorry, Henry told us you said you were –“

“And you believed him?” she said, remembering she had been joking around with Ruby. “I was being sarcastic with my friend. God forbid I make a joke around you,” she hissed. 

“What’s that supposed to mean? I just thought, you know, it makes sense for Jefferson-”

“You thought Jefferson would only marry me if I was pregnant?” she said angrily, continuing to walk to walk away from him. 

Gavin was still trying to keep up with her. “That’s not it at all, Belle! You just don’t seem like his type.”

“Not his type?” she said, “weren’t you the one who told me yesterday you didn’t know him?”

That was a low blow, and Belle knew it. He had stopped in his tracks, watching her in disbelief.

“You’re just not Jefferson’s type, Belle,” he whispered, sounding frustrated. “You know what? You sit here, working a meaningless job, planning trips that you never take. You’re ridiculous. You think that would make your father proud?”

She was staring at him, and felt the sting of tears hit her eyes. This was all wrong. 

“That was inappropriate of me to say,” he said, beginning to turn away.

“No! No, thank you. Thank you for saying that, I mean it,” she said sarcastically, making him turn around to look at her. “I know I’m a disappointment to my dead parents, and I know I’m completely alone in my life, but you know what? I’m happy. I don’t see you running around as the prime example of a great person. Are you happy with your life, Gavin? A single guy running a company for dead people’s furniture, being bitter at the world? That’s what’s ridiculous,” she said, her tone poisonous. 

“You’re not alone, Belle, you’ve got Jefferson. I’m the one that’s alone,” he snapped back.

“Right. You’ve got that wonderful family that loves you, and you chose to work 360 days of the year. That is your own damn fault, Gavin. I get that I’m not Jefferson’s type, really, but I’m engaged to him. I’m sorry,” she said in finality. 

Gavin nodded. They were both seething. 

They stood in an uncomfortable silence. Belle knew her growing mixed feelings towards him were wrong, but they were there. He had been kind of hot when he was yelling, actually. It was like her life was a romantic comedy movie.

Both of their phones began to ring at once. They pulled them out, and Gavin told her Neal was calling him. Emma was calling her.

Belle picked up first, “Emma?” just as Gavin said, “Neal?”

Emma quickly told her Jefferson had woken up and would be allowed visitors soon. Belle wanted to crawl under a whole. It was time for her move to Australia.

“I’m actually with Belle now, I’ll drive her over,” said Gavin, a huge smile on his face. His son had just woken up, and it was time to go see him.

-  
The drive to the hospital was quiet, and Belle learned Gavin sung along to the radio. It was a happy distraction from her pounding heart and frustrated feelings toward Gavin. 

“Didn’t picture you as a Top 20 kind of guy,” she said, smiling as he serenaded the car.

“I may be a grandpa, but I’m a cool,” he said, winking at her before returning his eyes to road. The tension between them was still there, but it seemed diffused by the news of Jefferson’s return. And right. He was a grandfather. Looking at it logistically, if she had remembered what Evanna said, he’d had Neal at 18, Neal had had Henry around 20, and Henry was 8 years old now. Gavin was really only in his late 40’s. Twenty years wasn’t too bad of a… well, it didn’t matter. She was about to have to say goodbye to this family forever. Why was she trying to picture herself with him? They’d just blown up at each other.

They entered the hospital together, and Evanna and Malcolm were at the front, waiting for them. Neal, Emma, and Henry were outside the room, and Doctor Mills was inside, talking to Jefferson. He looked tired, but he was definitely awake and talking back to her. Great.

Belle looked at the wonderful people around her. “Guys,” she said loudly, and they all turned to look at her. “I have to tell you something. I was never-”

“Pregnant?” said Evanna kindly, “we know, dear. Gavin told Neal on the phone.”

Belle exhaled. Before she could regroup and tell them for real, Regina stepped out of the room. “He’s ready for visitors. If he doesn’t immediately recognize you, that’s okay. He´s got amnesia. Lacunar amnesia is a condition in which memory loss is localized and patchy,” she explained, opening the door for them to enter.

Neal decided to enter first. He sat down next to Jefferson, who smiled at him. “Hey, big brother.” 

“Hey bud. How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed, “I feel strange.”

The family filed in quietly, with Belle at the end of the line. Jefferson easily identified his family members, letting them lean down to hug him, but he paused when Belle got to him. She gave him half a smile. “Hi, Jefferson,” she whispered.

“I don’t know her,” he said, looking around at his family members.

“Sure you do, Jeff! She’s your fiancée,” said Malcolm, stepping to put his arm around Belle’s shoulder.

“I’m engaged to her?” said Jefferson, eyeing Belle interestedly.

“Yep!” said Neal.

“Oh,” he said, “I think it’s coming back to me. She does seem kind of familiar.”

“Yeah, familiar from the train station,” thought Belle, keeping quiet. 

A nurse, Wanda, entered with a plate of Jell-O for Jefferson to eat. 

“Do I like Jell-O?” he said, looking at his family for confirmation.

“Yes, dear,” said Evanna, patting his shoulder.

Jefferson dug in, and Belle drug Neal outside the room with her as Malcolm and Evanna and Henry began to pepper Jefferson with random questions. 

“Neal! You have to tell them we’re not really engaged!” 

He didn’t look perturbed as he shrugged, “I will! Give it some time!”

“You can’t try and make him remember me – there’s nothing to remember!”

Neal shrugged again and told her he would tell them eventually, and Belle sighed as they went back in to Jefferson’s room.

“You know,” said Jefferson, “I can remember a lot of things.” He listed his eighth grade locker combination, all of his sports numbers, his social security code, and his birthday.

Gavin chuckled. “You’ll get around to remembering her eventually, son, don’t worry about it,” he said, pointing at Belle. Jefferson was telling the family what he remembered about the accident.

Belle decided to quietly slip out of the room. “I’ve, uh, got a headache,” she whispered to Gavin, who tried to stop her at the door. “Let me join you,” he replied, walking out of the room with her.

“I want to apologize for everything I’ve said to you,” said Gavin.

“Yeah, you’ve been really great to me this week,” she replied, her tone not hiding her sarcasm.

“I’m sorry I followed you home, and accused you of dating August, and said you were pregnant in front of all your friends, and I’m sorry I said you weren’t Jefferson’s type. You’re going to be a great pair. Really great, actually, you’re wonderful, and you won’t be alone anymore,” he said quietly, watching her like she was something delicate. Belle was staring at the floor, so he continued, “You’re not superficial, you’re brave, you’re committed, you’re so beautiful, and you’re wonderful with kids…” he said, trailing off, blushing as he realized he’d call her beautiful.

“Thank you, Gavin,” she said gently. “But I really need to go home and take a nap.”

She wanted to tell him that he was great, too, that she admired him and wanted to get to know him more. She couldn’t, though. It was too hard. They would never work out, not after the way they’d just fought like teenagers. His apology had been heartfelt, but she needed to squash any kind of romantic attraction to him. Neal would tell the Gold family all about her lie, and they’d move on with their lives. She hadn’t meant to fall in love with the family, from Evanna’s kind soul to young Henry’s, but she had. It was going to kill them when they knew.   
-  
In the hospital room, Neal spoke up. “Can I talk to Jefferson alone?”

Jefferson looked at him curiously. “Something wrong, Neal?”

“Just want to talk to my little brother alone.”

Neal took a seat next to Jefferson as everyone else left the room. “Bro, I’ve known you since you were two months old. We grew up together. I’ve seen you at your best and your worst. You’ve got a great job, you’re a handsome guy, but here’s the thing. You’re kind of a putz.”

Jefferson coughed. “Beg your pardon?”

“I love you so much, Jefferson, but it’s a matter of fact. I know you don’t want to hear it from me, but it has to be said.”

“Is there a point to this?”

“Belle. There’s something you should know about her. She’s your guardian angel; she saved you from dying on those train tracks. Now, she’ll probably come back to see you today if you ask her to, and l want you to do something. I want you to look deeply into her eyes and realize that you’ve just been given a second chance at life. And after two minutes of looking at her, if you´re not madly in love with her,” Neal said, taking a deep breath. “Why, tell her you want to break up, and you can go back to being a putz. But if in the two minutes you see what the rest of our family took only took seconds to see, you will propose to her for the second time, and marry her before she has a chance to escape forever. Before she comes over, take a little time and think about... what someone who loves you just told you,” said Neal, rising from his chair.

Jefferson nodded, mesmerized. “Can you call Belle and ask her to come here? I don’t remember her phone number.”

Neal nodded, calling Belle on his cell phone. She reluctantly agreed to come back to the hospital. He had always wanted to play matchmaker, and Belle fit perfectly in to the family. He was sure they would work out. Belle would be a good balance with his brother’s shallowness, and he would be good for her because he had some endearing qualities, deep down. They would love each other just as much as his whole family had instantly loved Belle.   
-  
Belle entered the room slowly. The Gold family had left to get dinner (Evanna had invited her to come with, but she declined), and she was the only one there.

“Hi,” she whispered, sitting down next to Jefferson.

“Hi,” he said back. She was almost startled at how forcefully he was meeting her eyes, but he was probably just trying to remember her.

“Would you like anything,” he offered, “they just brought me dinner.”

“Oh, no, I’m good,” she said. 

“I wish they’d bring me some different clothes. I hate this hospital gown.” 

“I can bring you some from your apartment if you’d like.” 

“That’d be perfect.”

“My, uh, favorite shirt of yours is the blue pinstripe,” she confessed. It was true, it brought out his eyes. 

“The double-breasted one? I love that shirt,” he said, smiling at her like she’d just discovered a cure for something terrible.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he continued, “that was so heroic of you. My dad told me the whole story.”

She bristled at the mention of Gavin. “I’m not a hero.”

“You’re my hero, always,” he said, taking her hand in his.

“You know what? Facing death makes a man evaluate his life. And l’ve been thinking about mine, and l haven´t liked what l have seen. I’ve seen a man who has courtside tickets to the Bulls, a flourishing sales career, an apartment on La Rue du Faubourg, Saint Honore,” said Jefferson, staring at her intensely. 

“Where?” asked Belle.

“Paris,” he said, waving his hand like that wasn’t important. “l’ve also seen a man who has no one to trust besides his family. No one to want to have a future with. You were there when l needed someone the most. You gave me a second chance at life, and it took a coma to really wake me up. My family loves you. l might as well love you, too,” he declared. He paused for a moment, and then whispered, “What’s your full name?”

“Belle Victorie French,” she whispered, feeling tears rush to her eyes. He was about to propose. The man she’d fantasized about for three months was in front of her, about to propose. 

“Belle, I’d get down on one knee if they let me out of this bed,” he said, raising her hand to kiss it. “Belle Victorie French, would you marry me?”

She whispered yes, and they both jumped when they heard a body hit the floor outside the room. Wanda had fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding is planned. There’s more awkward tension between Gavin and Belle. The wedding doesn’t go through as anticipated, and Belle has a surprise visitor at work. There's an epilogue at the end of the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to write! I know I veered off course of all the movie’s original events, but I hope I kept the general premise similar enough. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you to faithoshauntasy for fixing my first draft of this - it was rough. I took some things from the While You Were Sleeping movie script, and I have no claim to them.

“I want to start our new life together as soon as possible,” Jefferson insisted to Belle at his bedside during an afternoon visit. 

“How soon?” asked Belle, wary of her fiancé’s eagerness.

“One week? I’ll be here for at least a month, but we could get married at the hospital. We could get married here right after I’m discharged, then go on a big honeymoon trip. I never wanted a big wedding. Did you?” he said.

“Me? Oh. No. It’s fine. Next week works. I’ll, uh, clear my schedule,” said Belle, still not sure why she had said yes. It was mostly because he was clearly very rich and handsome. 

The Gold family was ecstatic. Evanna was making a cake, Emma was going to be a bridesmaid…it was a whole ordeal. Belle felt like she was going through the motions of planning someone else’s wedding – certainly not her own, not when she hardly knew the groom. When she pictured her own wedding, it was in an outdoor venue, decorated tastefully. It was quiet and romantic and candle-lit, and everyone looked at her and her groom and saw the picture of true love. It wasn’t in a hospital. It wasn’t to Jefferson Gold, who was still a stranger. He was nice, from what she could take from the tiny conversations they had while he was allowed visitors. Still, this was a stretch, even for the romantic in her. The Gold family was so lovely to her, and she couldn’t bear to disappoint them. Neal kept saying he would tell them the whole miscommunication situation, but she suspected he secretly wanted her to marry Jefferson.

Gavin was a whole other issue. Belle knew she was attracted to him to some degree, despite their constant disagreements and fighting. He was difficult, and stubborn, but love wasn’t supposed to be easy. She knew there was someone soft and kind underneath the walls he had up. Instead of facing this issue and talking to him, she tried to avoid him during hospital visiting hours, and chose to sit next to Henry instead of him at Gold family meals. 

She couldn’t avoid him forever, it seemed. Belle was sitting with Jefferson, her hand covering his when the whole Gold family, including Gavin, walked in.

“Dad! I thought you were working today,” said Jefferson, smiling at the visitors.

“Two days before my son’s wedding? I took off. Work can wait,” he said, settling down next to Belle on the couch. Belle shifted, focusing on her hand that was holding Jefferson’s. 

Neal and Jefferson began to discuss groomsmen. It was going to be a small wedding, but Jefferson was still inviting coworkers and friends. Belle wasn’t inviting anyone. Conversation went on, with Belle avoiding Gavin’s gaze and his futile attempts to make conversation with her until it was time for the family to go. Neal asked Belle how she was getting home. She said a taxi would do, and then noticed the streets were jammed and no taxis seemed to be empty.

“There’s a huge hockey game, and a concert in Chicago tonight. The cabs are all booked,” said Neal, frowning, “I would offer you a ride, but my car is full.”

“I can take Belle,” offered Gavin, smiling slightly as she nodded and they headed to his car.

It was awkwardly silent for a little before he began to talk about hockey. Hockey was a safe topic that they could both agree on, discussing trades and players. Sports led to other things, which led to Gavin talking more about Jefferson.

“I had always wanted to give the company over to my sons when I was done with it,” he said, sounding sad, “but Jefferson doesn’t want it, and Neal’s only half-invested. It’s disappointing, but I guess that’s life sometimes, you know?” he said, glancing over at her.

Belle nodded, watching him. Every time he looked at her, she felt a zing! down her spine. It was the most elementary of crushes. “What – what do you think you’ll do when you retire then?” she finally asked.

He shrugged. “Not sure. Probably just sell it.”

“That’s sad. You put so much work in,” she said.

Gavin sighed. “I put too much in to it. This whole thing, Jefferson going in to a coma, and you, and a wedding and seeing how grown up Henry’s getting… I need to spend more time with my family. I need to. Before they’re gone. Before I’m gone.”

She reached over and patted his shoulder. “You’re not that old. But that’s a nice sentiment.”

“I mean it, Belle.”

“I’m sure you do, Gavin,” she said, looking out the window at the passing traffic. “I need to quit at the train station. Like Jefferson, I’ve been thinking about my life, and… I need to get a real job. Really start my life.”

“What do you want to be?”

“A librarian. I love reading, I love books. I wanted to specialize in youth library, work with kids programs and stuff. I think it’s really important that everyone knows how to read and loves it,” said Belle, suddenly gushing. “I just stopped looking for jobs a while ago, and I shouldn’t have, but I’m going to start again and stick with it.”

He smiled over at her. “You could do that wonderfully. I would check you out – I mean check out with you. With a book.”

Belle laughed, shaking off his faux-pick up line. They soon arrived at her apartment complex and he walked her to her door.

He stopped outside the door to get in the building. She turned to look at him, and found they were standing close together. Far too close together for comfort. He was looking up, and she looked up too as her heart rate increased. Decorative mistletoe hung above them.

“They’ve not taken down the mistletoe yet,” he said, searching her eyes with a look Belle couldn’t identity.

“Is that so?” she whispered, staring at him. She realized she was breathing heavily. They stood like that for a moment, far too close and staring at the other’s lips for a moment too long. Gavin began to lean towards her; startling Belle, who coughed and took a step back.

“That would be inappropriate, of course, given the circumstances,” he said, taking a step back. “Goodbye, Belle.” 

After waving goodbye, Belle walked towards the door alone, walking straight by a leering August and to her door. She didn’t need Gavin in the back of her mind - he had almost kissed her! Belle needed to get her mind off of him and how he confused her with almost everything he said to her. 

She wanted to scream as she entered her apartment, but instead went to the very back corner of her closet to the dress she had covered in a plastic wrap since she was born. Her mother’s wedding dress. It was horrible out-of-style and had faded to a yellow, but it was the closest Belle would get to having her parents at the wedding. Belle shrugged out of clothes, and slipped on her mother’s dress. It seemed like Belle’s mother had been a good bit taller than her, and heavier in the bust than Belle was. It was going to be a long, droopy dress. She fixed it to seem better with some clothes pins and looked at herself cautiously in the mirror. This wasn’t ideal at all, but she hoped her mother would smile down on her as she wore her dress at the hospital’s altar. A knock at the door stopped her train of thought. She opened it, and August barged in. 

“Uh, August? Are you okay?” she asked, before he promptly threw himself on the couch.

“Zelena broke up with me!” he said, “My life is over!”

“Oh, oh, you poor thing,” she said, sitting next to him carefully and rubbing his back.

He was openly sobbing, then looked over at her. “What are you wearing, French?”

She paused, took a deep breath, and said, “My wedding dress.”

“Are you marrying that dude who keeps coming over?”

“No, his son.”

“Who’s his son?”

“Jefferson Gold,” she replied, like August knew who that was. She was also suspicious of August’s sobriety from the smell of alcohol and his emotional state, so she might as well confess everything. “I barely know him, but I’m marrying him.”

“Are you crazy, French? Why are you marrying someone you don’t know?”

Belle thought about it. “Because every day I go home and I sit in a booth at a train station. Then I come home to my cat. I work every holiday. And now, a very rich handsome man has asked me to marry him and I don’t think that’s a bad thing, and I think I deserved to say yes.” That was a good enough reason for her, really. 

“Why aren’t you marrying that other guy - his dad – he’s the one who’s over here every other day making eyes at you.”

“It didn’t – it won’t work out with him. He doesn’t want me like that,” whispered Belle, looking away from August.

“Well, French, he’s an idiot for not wanting you. And, if your wedding to this Jefferson guy falls through, you know where my room is.”

“Okay. Gross. Time for you to go,” she said, ushering August out of her room as he told her he wanted to try on her shoes again. Before long, another knock at the door stopped her from watching television peacefully. She went to answer it, assuming it was August back to bother her more.

“You can’t try on my shoes, you can’t come in, and I don’t care about what you think of my-” she yelled, before someone that wasn’t August started talking. 

“It’s Gavin, and I don’t want to try on your shoes,” came the response through the door. 

Arriving at the door, Belle paused, unsure if she should speak to him. She decided to open the door to see what he wanted. 

Gavin was holding out a card. “It’s a wedding gift,” he said. “It’s just a check, but I figured I’d give it to you before a ton of other wedding gifts arrived. I meant to give it to you before, but…”

A wedding gift. Right. She was marrying his son in two days. Thinking about this gave Belle a headache. “Oh,” she said, taking the envelope from his hand, “thank you. You can come in.”

He stepped in, and then took in her outfit. “Is that your-”

She nodded. “Yep. My wedding dress. In all its glory.”

“Well, I really just wanted to drop that off,” he said, exhaling loudly, “and I just wanted to say, I think Jefferson is really lucky to have you.”

“Thank you,” said Belle quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. Surely he felt the chemistry they had? Surely he could tell something was wrong?

“Of course,” he smirked, “I have to say that because you’re going to be my daughter-in-law.”

“Thanks, Gavin,” she said in cynical voice. “I guess that means you’ll have to deal with me a lot more.” Lucky them, having to face each other again so often after their emotion-fueled encounters. 

He looked at her sharply, like he wasn’t sure how to reply. “I should get going.” 

“Oh. Okay. Thanks for coming over,” she said, opening the door for him to leave. He was just out of the doorway when she stopped him, biting her lip. “Gavin?”

Turning around, he said, “yeah?”

She took a deep breath. “Can you – can you think of any reason I shouldn’t marry Jefferson?”

Hoping, begging, pleading with her eyes for him to feel what she did.

He looked like he was going to say something – and then stopped himself. His shoulders were slumped and he wasn’t quite meeting her eye contact when he said. “Nope. There are no reasons not to marry Jefferson,” he said quietly, turning around to leave. She didn’t stop him, and told herself not to over think his hesitation and to move on with her life. She was standing in the apartment of her building in a damn wedding dress, pining after her future father-in-law. When did her life turn in to a movie? When did love-at-first-sight turn in to love with secrets and conditions?

-  
Belle stayed out of contact the day before her “wedding”, texting Emma not to worry about a last minute bridal shower, and that she would be ready on Saturday morning. She had booked plane tickets to Australia for two, and she and Jefferson would get the stamps on their passports she had wanted for years.

Saturday morning arrived, and Belle pulled herself in to her wedding dress, did her makeup, and pinned her hair up. It all felt robotic, and Belle was still fighting with herself. Half of her could go through with this, could go live in Jefferson’s fancy apartment and have her every whim taken care of. Half of her wanted to take the difficult path, to confess her wrongdoings to his family, to quit her job and start over.

She drove slowly to the hospital, meeting Emma and Neal at the front entrance. They walked with her to the half-filled chapel, where Evanna and Malcolm and Henry sat anxiously, waiting. A few other relatives had decided to go, and Jefferson was waiting at the altar for her with the priest, a friendly looking woman called Pastor Blue. Gavin was standing next to Jefferson, apparently chosen as last-minute groomsmen because a coworkers’ flight was late. Belle took a deep breath, nodding at Emma and Neal who took their appropriate places on the stage. 

On stage, Jefferson was smiling at Belle warmly. He knew he would learn to love her like his family did. “Dad, do you have the rings?” he said quietly, turning to look at his father.

“Yes, I have your rings,” he said bitingly, clearly upset.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m just not in the best mood, son.”

“Well, quit it. It’s my wedding.”

“I know all too well that it’s your wedding,” said Gavin, turning to look at Belle.

“She look nervous to you?” said Neal under his breath to them.

“Yeah,” said Jefferson and Gavin at the same time.

The organ music began, and Belle began to slowly walk herself down the aisle. She felt the scattered eyes resting on her, and felt her breathing speed up. Tears rushed to her eyes, and she stopped. The crowd rustled nervously, and she laughed and continued down the aisle. This was too much. This couldn’t happen.

With Belle next to Jefferson, the priest began. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-”

“I object,” whispered Belle, staring at the floor.

“I didn’t get to that part yet,” whispered Pastor Blue, not sure of what the next steps were.

“I would have to object, too,” said Gavin, shifting uncomfortably next to Jefferson.

Pastor Blue looked at Jefferson. “How about you?”

Jefferson’s gaze was shifting from Belle to Gavin. “I’m not sure, yet.”

“What the hell is going on?” said Malcolm, piping up from the audience. Belle turned to face all of them.

“I’m in love with your son,” she said, “not your grandson. Your son.”

Evanna gasped. “Gavin? What did he do to you?”

“He didn’t do anything, it was me. It was all me. Do you guys… do you guys remember that day at the hospital? Of course you do, you were all there. I saw Jefferson get pushed on the tracks, and I saved his life. I had never even talked to him before then. When I arrived to the hospital to make sure he was okay, I couldn’t, because I wasn’t family. Someone got confused and told the doctor I was his fiancée,” said Belle, her voice cracking as she explained, “and I’m not his fiancée. I never was his fiancée.”

“Why didn’t you just tell us that,” said Malcolm, the confusion clear in his voice.

“I don’t know – I just couldn’t. I didn’t know how too. Everything happened so fast, and then, I didn’t want to tell you the truth. And, uh, the truth is… I fell in love with you guys. All of you.”

“You’re in love with me?” asked a random cousin.

“No – well, yes. I went from being all alone, to being a fiancée, a sister, an aunt, a granddaughter, and a friend. I might’ve saved his life,” Belle said, motioning to Jefferson, “but you guys really saved mine. You made me part of this huge, crazy, loving family, and I’ve never had that before. And you guys gave it to me, so graciously. I haven’t had a family in a really long time. So even though our time together was short, I want to thank you for it. I’m so sorry. And I’m sorry about your carpet,” she said, directly addressing Jefferson.

“My carpet?”

Suddenly, the chapel doors swung open and a tall, thin blonde ran in. “Jefferson Gold is engaged to me! I object to this wedding!”

“Get in line,” said the priest, stepping off the altar to take a seat and watch whatever happened next.

“And I object to your objection!” came a man strolling in after the woman.

“Who is that?” said Gavin.

“Elsa, and Elsa’s husband,” said Jefferson with a shrug. 

“You proposed to a married woman?” said Gavin, staring at his son incredulously.

“Yeah, and I was in a coma and my dad made a play at my kind-of fiancée. It’s been a rough month for me,” said Jefferson unapologetically. 

“How could you do this to me?” said Elsa, staring at Belle with a vengeance. Everyone in the pews was chattering, unsure of what to do. The Gold family was staring at her, unsure of what to do next. Belle decided it was time for her to go. “I’m really, really sorry, again,” she said, bunching the skirt of her dress and fleeing the scene.

-  
After taking a “mental health” day, Belle decided to go back to the train station like her life hadn’t just flipped upside down for a good two weeks. She had ignored Emma, Neal, and Gavin’s texts and calls. She couldn’t handle them being angry at her, and needed to forget them. She was in love with Gavin Gold, but they couldn’t be together. She knew her feelings would fade in time, and that she would be able to move on. When Sally Lucas stopped by today, Belle would put in her two weeks and start looking for a real job. She was moving and shaking and making changes in her life, which was scary, but it was time. Belle was distracted from her crossword with a knock at her window.

Gavin Gold was directly in front of her, with his family surrounding him. The whole family – Neal, Emma, Henry, Malcolm, and Evanna were gathered expectantly behind him. Staring at her, Gavin dropped something into her token slot.

A ring hit the metal. An engagement ring. Belle picked it up, staring back at him.

“Get on your knees, it’s more romantic that way,” Evanna whisper-yelled.

“He’s proposing, Evanna, let him do it his way!” Malcolm said, shushing her.

“I can’t see!” said Henry, moving around to see what was going on.

Gavin leaned down so he could be eye-level with Belle. “Can I come behind the glass?”

She nodded and smiled, but whispered “you need a token.”

He smirked at her as he searched around in his pocket before sliding a token in. She got up and opened the door, letting him in to her booth. 

“Marry me?” he whispered, wrapping her in his arms.

She looked up at him. “Yeah.”

“I love you,” he said before dipping her in to a kiss. The family cheered outside. Smiling as they broke apart, Belle whispered, “I love you back.”

“That’s good,” he said, “that’s a good start for this.”

They exited the booth together, Gavin raising their hands up victoriously. The family merged in to one big group hug, and Belle never wanted to let go.

Not most couples start dating after they get engaged, but they had never been traditional. Their love grew and grew to where they knew each other like the back of their hand, fitting each other quirks. They had the same sense of humor about everything, and Belle couldn’t have been happier. Belle’s life didn’t turn out the way she had planned, but a year later, Gavin gave her the greatest gift in the world. A stamp on her passport, and an unforgettable honeymoon in Australia. It hadn’t been love at first sight, but it was real, true love. 

At their wedding, Jefferson asked Belle when she had fallen for his dad. Belle answered truthfully. It was while he was sleeping.

-  
EPILOGUE:  
Belle joined Emma in the kitchen, helping her prepare snacks for the family Christmas party. It had become tradition to go over to Emma and Neal’s, and Belle loved it. After setting the food out on the table, Belle went to the family room. Henry was finishing putting decorations on the sparkling Christmas tree, and Belle settled on to the couch with a cup of cocoa. She watched Gavin dancing around the tree to Christmas music with their two-year old daughter, Angeline Noelle. He had her in his arms, and Belle smiled as she watched her little family sway to the music. Gavin cooed to Angeline, and she happily clapped her hands and giggled. Gavin saw Belle was done in the kitchen, and sat down next to her, handing Angeline over to sit on her lap. He had originally told her he was too old for another child, and when Belle told him she was pregnant after their honeymoon, he had been scared but delighted. He was nervous at first of being a father again, but he was wonderful. Belle knew their daughter brought joy in to his life. Belle had never seen a happier baby than their Angeline. 

Belle leaned her head against his shoulder, and Neal sat down next to her. Jefferson was absent from this family event, which was usual for him. Emma sat on a chair next to them, and Malcolm and Evanna occupied another couch with Henry. Henry turned on the hockey game, and they watched it together, just like they had when Belle had first entered their lives. Looking around at the faces of her now-family, Belle sighed happily. 

“Are you okay?” said Gavin, reaching to take her hand.

“I’ve just never been this happy,” she whispered.

“I’m happy too,” he said, squeezing her hand.

This was her life, now, and she loved it. There was nowhere else in the world Belle Gold would rather be on Christmas than right here with this family. After this Christmas break, she would return to the library and work with children, and then go home to be with her favorite child of all. Her life hadn’t always been a fairytale, but it was her story and now she was living happily ever after.


End file.
